August 6 and 9 of 2021 is mark the 76th anniversary commemorating the tragedy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the explosions ended the Second World War, the victory was meaningless compared to the question of humanity, morality, suffering and the tragic loss of life. Even more heart breaking is that more than 210,000 people were killed - the majority of whom were infants, children, women and the elderly. To compound this tragedy, more than half a million survivors of the atomic bombs known as hibakusha have had to endure lifelong suffering and health complications as a result of nuclear radiation. To what extent do the relentless messages delivered by hibakusha as well as various peace-loving non-governmental organizations (NGOs) calling for an end to nuclear weapons gain benefits behind the annual ceremonies commemorating the tragedies that befell Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Not many know that in fact the success of the United Nations in enforcing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 22 January 2021 was largely due to the continued lobbying by hibakusha alongside Japanese and international NGOs as well as peace-loving countries. Malaysia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also played a key role in the process leading to the adoption of the TPNW by the United Nations on 7 July 2017.

The call for a world without nuclear weapons became a movement that resonates every year in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In addition to urging nuclear power states to halt nuclear weapons development programs, the role played by Nagasaki City Hall, the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, as well as the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace should be commended. In an effort to raise awareness concerning the catastrophe of nuclear weapons, these bodies consistently organize various awareness programs as well as support international delegates to visit Nagasaki. Anyone who has the opportunity to visit the atomic bomb museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which exhibit all the artifacts and effects of the devastating destruction, may very well have an experience that will in itself evoke various feelings of horror as though they have taken part in a real atomic bomb explosion, and be able to intimately view the horrendous and inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.

Efforts made by NGOs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as by international institutions to raise awareness within the global community have also received support from students and the younger generation; this includes youth of Malaysia. Since 1996, for example, the Japan Studies Program at the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya has offered a course on "East Asian Security Issues" which also highlights the question of nuclear weapons in its curriculum. Also in 1996, a visit to the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum and a meeting with the Mayor of Hiroshima were also conducted by academic staff and 20 students. Furthermore, a visit by the senior management of the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace which also included late Mr. Hiroshi Matsuzoe, a hibakusha who first visited the University of Malaya in August 2006, has collaborated with the University of Malaya continuously to this day. Following the cooperation initiated, face-to-face seminars and online webinars have also been jointly arranged as well as peace activities known as the Asian Peace Network (APN) have also been organized. Through the collaboration that has been fostered with these two cities, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing devastation exhibition was held in 2009 at the University of Malaya for two months - the first exhibition held in Asia outside Japan. Two hibakushas namely the late Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid from Malaysia and late Mr. Tsukasa Watanabe from Nagasaki also shared their experiences when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were shaken by atomic bombs.

Lectures by hibakusha were also organized six times at the University of Malaya since 2006. Meanwhile, lectures and virtual webinars by students of the University of Malaya with hibakusha in Japan and those residing in the United States were also held. Through collaboration with Nagasaki as well, the international NGO Peace Boat based in Tokyo also paid a visit to the University of Malaya on 29 August 2016 when 10 delegates including six hibakusha delivered lectures. The Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur also collaborated with the Japan Studies Program, University of Malaya and jointly organized a lecture concerning the atomic bomb disaster on Hiroshima, which was delivered by the Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr. Kazumi Matsui on July 22, 2016. In conjunction with the event, the “East Asian Security Issues” course at the University of Malaya was recognized as the first course in Malaysia as well as Asia to be listed as a peace course under the international organization Mayors for Peace formed in 1982. In 2019, University of Malaya's collaboration with Nagasaki was also expanded to Universiti Putra Malaysia and Convent High School, Jalan Peel through a story telling program by hibakusha run by the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.

Has this struggle towards a world without nuclear weapons that began to mobilize shortly after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought about the conviction in world leaders to agree upon a nuclear weapons ban? Although the TPNW came into force on January 22, 2021, all nine nuclear weapon states have taken a stand not to vote and have boycotted since the UN adopted the motion in 2017. There are no clear signs that nuclear weapon states will be with the countries that have ratified TPNW. The stubbornness of these nuclear weapon states can be attributed to the nuclear doctrine as argued by Kenneth Waltz; he assumes that possession of nuclear weapons will make the world more peaceful because potentially aggressive countries may be hesitant when assailing another nuclear state that is equally of destroying its attacker. However, the fact is that this doctrine is no longer applicable since the TPNW was adopted by the UN.

Now, the proliferation of nuclear weapons has not only spread horizontally - more and more countries have acquired nuclear capability, but the destructive capability of nuclear bombs has increased thousands of times compared to those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The development of weapons of mass destructions (WMDs) such as nuclear, chemical, biological weapons and radiological agents remains continuous by nuclear weapon states. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a total of US $72.6 billion was spent by nine nuclear power nations in 2020 to maintain arsenals as the world struggled to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. To highlight this, the United States spends (US$37.4b), China (US$10.1b), Russia (US$8.0b), the UK (US$6.2b), France (US$5.7b), India (US$2.48b), Israel (US$1.1b), Pakistan (US$1b) and DPRK (US$0.667b) to strengthen their respective nuclear capabilities. In June 2021, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated that 13,080 nuclear warheads are still possessed by nuclear weapon states of which about 90% are owned by Russia and the United States as of January 2021. This situation puts the world in a dangerous position as the vertical and horizontal nuclear proliferation and arms race continues. The risk of a nuclear weapon being detonated by any nuclear power is significant. No country is truly prepared for a nuclear confrontation if something unexpected or a pre-emptive strike is launched. The movement toward the dream of world prosperity and universal peace seems to only be an illusion unless all the nine states unify as signatories of the TPNW.

The nine states have appeared to ignore the TPNW, which has begun to be enforced by the United Nations. However, the international community that strives for peace and tranquillity should not yield to the machinations of the leaders of the nuclear weapon states. Their inflexibility and determination to evade nuclear weapon prohibition must be overcome so that a reasonable solution can be attained. Indeed, there is no empathy and moral obligation that can be guaranteed in the event of a nuclear attack. Political leaders will continue to make mistakes when diplomacy falters, comparable with the endless debate over the justification for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In commemoration of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only way to eliminate further risk of the threat of nuclear weapons is compliance with the nuclear weapons ban. The success of enforcement of the TPNW by the United Nations is symbolic of the success of the many years of the struggle of hibakusha with Japanese and international NGOs to continuously lobby for the nuclear weapons ban agenda. The use of nuclear weapons against humanity must be stopped. The time has come for political will to be translated into political action. Praise should be given to all parties who continue to lobby in support of the TPNW. Thus, the contributions made by hibakusha, organizations and institutions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as all Japanese and international NGOs who have never stopped pursuing this noble endeavour should be recognized.